Bowling aid with ball engaging detent means



p 1965 5. J. SKUSE 3,208,749

BOWLING AID WITH BALL ENGAGING DETENT MEANS Filed April 16, 1963 F I 4 INVENTOR.

SAMUEL J. SKUSE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,208,749 BOWLING AID WITH BALL ENGAGING DETENT MEANS Samuel J. 'Skuse, 42'1 Rocket St., Rochester, N.Y. Filed Apr. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 273,354 4 Claims. ('Cl. 27354) This invention relates to a device for imparting a spin to a bowling ball. More particularly, the invention rel-ates to a bowling aid having thereon means for imparting a spin to a bowling ball as it is thrown from the hand of a bowler.

Most accomplished bowlers have found that they can retain more control over a bowling ball by imparting thereto a slight spin. Usually such spins are produced by a twist of the bowlers wrist just prior to the release of the bowling ball. Generally it is difiicult for a given bowler always to impart the same amount of spin to a bowling ball. Moreover, the constant twisting of the bowlers wrist prior to releasing the bowling ball tends to strain and irritate his wrist and arm muscles.

An object of this invention is to provide a device for automatically imparting a spin to a bowling ball as the latter is thrown from the hand of a bowler.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bowling aid by means of which a bowler may impart a spin to a bowling ball without twisting his wrist.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved bowling ball to which a spin may be readily imparted by an instrumentality worn on the hand of the bowler.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent herein after from the specification, and from the recital of the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a hand having thereon a bowling aid made in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, and showing the aid disposed in operative relation to .a bowling ball carried in the hand;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of this hand showing how the aid straps onto the wrist of a bowler, and illustrating the extensible flap which connects the aid to a bowling ball carried in the bowlers hand;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the novel bowling aid as it looks when it is spread out in its natural shape;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the aid taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 shows the novel bowling ball with which the aid is adapted to be used.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, the aid is generally T-sha ped in configuration and comprises an elongate, trunk or body portion 11 having an integral, transverse strap portion 12 at one end thereof. The portions 11 and 12 are made of leather or a similar, tough, flexible material. A conventional buckle 13 having .a pivotal buckle tongue 14 is secured to the face of strap 12 adjacent one end thereof. At its opposite end the strap 12 narrows slightly as at 15, and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes 16. The end of the trunk portion 11 remote from the strap portion 12 has therethrough a relatively large, circular opening 17 for accommodating the finger of a bowler as described below.

Secured in longitudinally spaced rows to the face of the trunk portion 11 in the area of the strap portion 12 are a plurality of receptacles 18 for conventional snap fasteners. Removably secured by a row of snap fasteners 19 to the receptacles 18 in one of said rows thereof is one end of a flexible, longitudinally residient flap or belt 20. In

3,208,749 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 its relaxed state, the flap 20 extends centrally along the body portion 11 from the strap portion 12 toward the opening 17. Intermediate its ends the flap 20 passes beneath a flexible loop 21 which is secured to the body portion 11.

Secured to the free end of the flap 20 on the side thereof confronting the body portion 11 is a rigid, rectangular reinforcing strip 22 of metal or the like. A further rectangular strip 23 of flexible leather or the like is secured to the opposite side of the flap 20 in alignment with the strip 22. Secured in the free end of the flap 20, and passing through both of the strips 22 and 23 in laterally spaced, parallel relation to one another are two pins or detents 24. Each pin 24 has a reduced diameter inner end, which extends through aligned openings in the flap 20 and the strips 22 and 23. The inner end of each pin 24 is peened over as at 25 (FIG. 4) to secure the pins against the inner face of the rigid flap 22. At its opposite end each pin 24 projects axially beyond the strip 23.

The aid 10 is adapted to be employed in conjunction with .a bowling ball 31 of the type having a pair of finger holes 32 and 33, and a thumb hole 34. These holes 32 to 34 permit the ball 31 to be gripped in the conventional manner. In the space between the two finger holes 32 and 33 and the thumb hole 34, respectively, the ball 31 is provided with four further circular openings, 35, 36, 37 and 38, which extend radially inwardly of the ball 31 toward its center. The holes 35 to 38, inclusive, are equal in diameter; and such diameter is less than the diameter of the smallest of the finger and thumb holes 32 to 34, and slightly larger than the outside diameter of the pins 24. The openings 35 to 38, inclusive, are positioned closer to the finger holes 32 and 33 than they are to the thumb hole 34; and the space between adjacent ones of the holes 35 to 38 is equal to the space between the two pins 24 carried by the flap 20.

In operation, the middle finger on the hand H (either right or left) of a bowler is inserted through the opening 17 in the body or strap portion 11 of the aid 10, and the body or strap 11 is secured in confronting relation to the palm of the hand H by buckling the strap 12 about the persons wrist (FIG. 2), so that the flap 20 faces outwardly. The bowling ball 31 is then grasped as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and the resilient flap 20 is stretched longitudinally until the pins 24 carried thereby slide into any two of the holes 35 to 38, inclusive. If the flap 20 is not long enough to permit the pins 24 to reach the holes 35 to 38, the flap 20 may be adjusted by transferring the snaps 19 to one of the other two .rows of receptacles 18 shown in FIG. 3. As shown byway of example in FIG. 2, the pins 24 have been placed in the holes 36 and 37, but it is to be understood they could be disposed in a second position in which they are inserted in the holes 35 and 36, or in a third position in which they are inserted in the holes 37 and 38.

As the fingers on the bowlers hand H release the bowling ball 31, the extended, elastic flap 20 tends to snap back to its normal, untensioned position, and in so doing causes the pins 24 to exert a sudden moment or tangential force along the outer surface of the bowling ball 31 just before they become disengaged from the ball, thereby imparting .a spin to the ball. The direction of the spin axis relative to the linear movement of the ball toward the bowling pins will diifer, depending upon in which pair of openings 35 and 36, 36 and 37, or 37 and 38, the pins 24 have been seated. The individual bowler will have to determine which of the three settings of the pins 24 are most desirable for his or her game. Also, the amount of spin imparted to the ball will differ depending upon the extent to which the longitudinally resilient flap 20 must be stretched in order to permit its pins 24 to be inserted into a pair of the openings in the bowling ball. It is essential, however, in all instances, that the flap 20 be of such length that it need be stretched in a longitudinal direction in order to insert its pins 24 into a pair of the holes 35 to 38 in the bowling ball.

While the bowling aid illustrated herein is designed so that the flap 20 extends between the bowling ball and the palm of the bowlers hand, the extensible flap 20 may be designed to extend over the outside of the bowlers hand. In such instance holes of the type illustrated at 35 to 38 would be drilled in the ball on the sides of the finger holes 32 and 33 remote from the thumb hole 34, and the flap extending over the outside of the bowlers hand would carry pins, similar to the pins 24, which could be removably positioned in a pair of the holes drilled in the ball beyond the finger holes 32 and 33. Moreover, instead of drilling such holes adjacent the finger holes 32 and 33, a pair of pin-receiving holes may be drilled in a ball on the side of the thumb hole 34 remote from the finger holes 32 and 33. In such instance the flap (similar to flap 20j would extend over the outside of the thumb and carry pins engageable in the pin-receiving holes drilled adjacent the thumb hole 34. Also, while the bowling ball shown herein 'comprisestwo finger holes and one thumb hole, it is anticipated that the instant invention could be used in conjunction with a bowling ball of the type having a single finger hole, and a single thumb hole.

With the holes 35 to 38 positioned as shown in the drawing, the pins 2'4 automatically impart a lift or top spin to the bowling ball. This lifting of the bowling ball is a term employed by bowlers to describe a desirable type of top spin, as distinguished from the act of elevating the ball.

While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device for imparting spin to a bowling ball, which has finger holes therein by which the ball may be gripped, comprising (a) a generally T-shaped element adapted to be worn on a person's hand, and having an elongate body portion and an elongate strap portion connected intermediate its ends with one end of said body portion and extending transversely of said body portion,

(b) said body portion having an opening therethrough adjacent the opposite end thereof through which the bowler may insert one finger for gripping the ball, and

() means on said strap portion for buckling said strap portion about a persons wrist,

(d) 'a strip of longitudinally resilent material secured at one end to said stra p portion and extending therefrom loosely along said body portion in parallelism With and contiguous thereto,

(e) a pair of laterally spaced detents secured to the opposite end of said strip and projecting transversely from the side thereof remote from said body portion and adapted to engage releasably in cooperating holes in a bowling ball, when said ball is held in the hand of a person wearing said element.

2. A device for imparting spin to a bowling ball of the type having therein at least one finger hole and one thumb hole for grasping the ball, com-prising (a) an elongate, flexible strip of material which is longitudinally resilient,

(b) a strap adapted to be worn across the palm of a persons hand and having a hole in one end thereof to accommodate the middle finger of a persons hand, and having an integral strap portion at the opposite end thereof for removably securing the opposite end of said element to a persons wrist, and

(c) releasable snap means connecting said one end of said strip to said strap adjacent the strap portion thereof,

((1) at least one detent secured to and projecting from the opposite end of said strip, and slidably engageable in a radial hole in said bowling ball between said finger hole and said thumb hole, when said ball is held in the bowlers hand.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein (a) a pair of said detents project from said opposite end of said strip to engage releasably in a pair of holes in said bowling ball between said finger hole and said thumb hole, and wherein (b) said strip is stretched longitudinally, when said ball is held in a bowlers hand and said detents are engaged in said pair of holes.

4. A device for imparting spin to a bowling ball, which has finger holes therein by which the ball may be gripped, comprising (a) a strap,

(b) a longitudinally resilient strip free at one end and fixed at its opposite end to said strap,

(c) means for removably securing said strap at one end to a bowlers wrist to extend across the palm of the bowlers hand, means for securing said strip to said str-ap so that the fixed end of said strip is located adjacent the bowlers wrist, and the free end thereof extends loosely over the outside of said strap in parallelism thereto toward the fingers of the bowlers hand, and

(d) at least one pin secured to and projecting from said free end of said strip to engage removably in a hole in a bowling ball, when the latter is held in the bowlers hand, said resilient strip being operative to apply a turning moment to said ball as it is thrown from the persons hand.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,369,210 2/45 Capossela 2-l6 2,931,652 4/60 Leon 27363 3,038,723 6/62 Bergendorf 27354 3,062,546 I l/62 Horton et al. 27354 3,087,727 4/ 63 Watterlohn 27363 3,098,654 7/ 6'3 Larsen 27354 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

4. A DEVICE FOR IMPARTING SPIN TO A BOWLING BALL, WHICH HAS FINGER HOLES THEREIN BY WHICH THE BALL MAY BE GRIPPED, COMPRISING (A) A STRAP, (B) A LONGITUDIANLLY RESILIENT STRIP FREE AT ONE END AND FIXED AT ITS OPPOSITE END TO SAID STRAP, (C) MEANS FOR REMOVEABLY SECURING SAID STRAP AT ONE END TO A BOWLER''S WRIST TO EXTEND ACROSS THE PALM OF THE BOWLER''S HAND, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID STRIP TO SAID STRAP SO THAT THE FIXED END OF SAID STRIP IS LOCATED ADJACENT THE BOWLER''S WRIST, AND THE FREE END THEREOF EXTENDS LOOSELY OVER THE OUTSIDE OF SAID STRAP IN PARALLELISM THERETO TOWARD THE FINGERS OF THE BOWLER''S HAND, AND 